Floodgates
by Eurydice Is Gone
Summary: Tensions rise once more between Hylians and Gerudo, as constant rain falls upon fair soil. When negotiations go sour, Ganondorf the Thief King manages to snatch the upper hand by taking the Princess Zelda to a hard-to-find location. As war flares up, odd relationships form, in the wake of unexpected similarities. But when the floodgates open, everybody drowns in some way.
1. Prologue: For The Darkness

Prologue: For the darkness

Let us start from the beginning, with the basics. The current princess, the only royal child once more, was born on a winter's eve. The frail queen lost her life that night, with not a single drop of her listless blood tainting nature's pure white snow. The child herself grew into a quiet, but inquisitive child, loved by many. Or so it seemed. For even at this young age, the nobles had only lust for a powerful marriage in their eyes, imagining the fantasy-fulfilling woman she'd become in but a few years. In time, parts of their sinful whispers became reality, as time transformed the young princess grew into a gentle young woman. Nature had graced her well, it seemed, for she had the bright blue eyes of an ocean she'd never seen and the golden hair of famous ancestors long dead. Her figure was slender and not as full in some places, but it was still graceful and kept far from scarring activities. This princess, this Zelda, seemed to be full of life and love for life, despite her quiet and composed demeanor. Yet even with all these blessings, for no reason anyone could see, a foul shadow would at random times befall her, tainting her thoughts with pain and seemingly needless cynicism. "It is an illness of the mind" the doctors would say, in hushed tones to her father. Powerful as he was, even the mighty king could not banish this dark infliction of his daughter's mind, and so the princess was left to cope the best she could with her mental affliction. The information was locked away, and word of her mind's curse was kept behind the castle's grey stone walls, whispered only to the fountains in the gardens below.

One summer month brought word of political unrest. It seemed that the Gerudo in the deserts were stirring; their activities were highly suspicious. "How dare they claw at our blessings with their filthy hands? How dare they grasp for our pure waters and demean our saint's names?" the Hylian people cried out, though the Gerudo had not actually been seen with their fingers on the stone walls quite yet. Given the two countries' history, however, this outreach of supposed blasphemies was taken as a given, and both sides reacted violently. Whispers soon reached the Hylian streets, filled with fabricated rumors of vile acts the damned Thief King had supposedly committed recently. Word was spread of abuse that 'a friend of a friend' had heard of, or someone with 'a cousin in the army' would speak of vile defilements of the human body he had committed on the Goddess' green earth. "For is there not a reason water will not reach them?" the people would exclaim, as they already imagined the beats of war drums darkening the ever-greying skies.

So it was inevitable that the two sides would clash. No one was clean; human beings of both sides often found themselves being visited upon by shadows in the night, who hoped to catch glimpses of defiled ground to use against their religious enemy. Religion was quickly brought into it, and again both sides were defiled by this too. Each cited the Goddess' influence as a sign of their own status as a victim in this never-ending bitter war.

So it came to pass that on one raining summer's eve, the Kings would be moved into place. The perceived black king moved to the perceived white king's territory, to fight their immediately foreseen battles with politics and words instead of poison and shed blood. Many cried "Words are useless; strike the blasphemers down now!" as negotiations took place.

This brings us to this raining summer's eve, where the two Kings spoke, in the presence of a princess who was both damned and divine.


	2. Chapter 1: Summer Rains

Chapter One: Summer Rains

Deep within the castle, two parties sat in one room. Two opposing forces, eternal enemies, were now conversing in the same room. Surrounded by polished suits of armor and grand blue banners, their debate was supposed to be private, but every now and then a shout would echo through the stone walls.

To the princess, who was dealing with another of her bouts of melancholy, the debate had raged on for several hours already. Truthfully, it was not as much of a debate as it was a pure argument, with each side bringing up old grievances against the other countless times. The only thing that really changed was how they said it; at least in her eyes. To be fair, at this point she was paying more attention to the gentle raindrops outside the large, picturesque window than to anything anyone was saying. _It doesn't matter. This self-indulgent argument will end the same. _She mused, leaning ever so slightly to the side of her chair to get a better look out the window.

The King of Hyrule, her father, angrily yells something as she takes another look at the tree immediately outside the window. As Ganondorf, who is oddly calm about this display, responds in kind with an oddly calm voice, the princess drifts off into thoughts of the rain, shifting as frequent as the raindrops themselves. Another advisor to the Hylian king makes a thinly veiled threat, which the Gerudo are quickly to call him out on. Neither side was ignorant of the tactics of the other; while one resorted to veiled words and implications, the other used a sort of bluntness that would throw the unprepared politician off guard. Their methods of arguing were as opposite as the places they sat at the table, complete with large gaps in between.

_I have never actually seen where the birds hide during a rainstorm. While those with homes inside the trees might do well, what of the birds who love to make their nests on the rooftops, under the open sky? Come to think of it, I have never looked up at the skies while the rain fell. I suppose it would just fall in my eyes though, blinding-_

Her trailing ribbons of thought were cut and frayed by a nobleman sitting right next to her, who slammed his fist on the table to emphasize his point. "…And that's all I'm saying on the matter!" was the only part princess caught, as she visibly jumped in her chair. It took her more willpower than she wanted to muster this day to not shoot an unkind glance at the enthusiastic man, but in the end, it was an effort she made. Although it was only late afternoon, the princess' body acted like she had never slept a day in her life, weighing her down with a heavy weariness that more than once almost caused her to literally fall over in her chair. Not that many people noticed.

Ganondorf himself let out a sort of chuckle. It was more out of amusement, though, as he seemed undisturbed by whatever the noble had said. "So? As I have told you countless times, we have found your spies on our lands as well."

"We have no knowledge on such matters!" The King of Hyrule shot back defensively, as the princess fought back the urge to just fall asleep right there on the table. Even a hard wooden table looked comfortable at this point-

Before anyone could get too comfortable, however, the ground shook violently, but briefly, as a booming far too loud to be simple thunder roared in the distance. The Hylian nobles were quickly flustered, and some even screamed and ran from the room, leaving countless papers behind. A few guards ran after them, while others ran forward to the nearest window.

As they did so, however, a sort of unnatural darkness quickly fell over the room, as if the universe's light had hidden away in some dark corner of existence. The shouts grew louder, as orders were barked and weapons were drawn. As she felt hands roughly grab her by her arms and hold themselves over her mouth, the princess could only think _Oh, they're kidnapping me. Fine, spill my blood now, see if I give a damn. There's probably a bastard son or two hiding in the shadows anyhow._

But instead of slicing one of their swords over her unprotected throat, she was roughly dragged through endless halls of darkness, as someone tried to bind her arms with rope while she was still moving. After a short time, and some rough remarks, they seemed to success, as she could no longer move her arms.

_You know what? If they insist on doing this, they can carry my soon-to-be corpse. I'm too tired for this..._Zelda thought, falling limp in her captor's grasps. Despite all the angry shouting, and the sheer absurdity of what she was doing, the princess tried to fall asleep in the middle of her own kidnapping. She soon succeeded.

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Princess Zelda was unsurprised to wake up in a room that was not her own. A wave of some form of anger did briefly rush through her, truly, but she lacked enough anger to find the will to get out of bed. Still, she noted the room was oddly cool, despite the amount of golden light filling the room telling her it was still day. So she theorized this couldn't have been the desert. In fact, there was a slight chill in the air, almost like early winter… or a higher altitude, perhaps. There was a window high above her somewhere to her left… but she couldn't be bothered to even sit up at the moment.

Outside her room, one of the Gerudo guards was talking with none other than Lord Ganondorf himself. "…And so we can only assume that the princess has been _sleeping _this entire time. It's been almost a full day since we brought her here, My Lord, and yet she still barely stirs." The guard commented, with complete and utter bafflement.

_The princess is making this far too easy. I can't say it's not suspicious. _Ganondorf thought, as he and the guard walked up to the room the princess was kept in. The door was thick and made of dark grey stone, and every now and then a brief flash of yellow lines would appear over it. A simple case of magic, of course, to keep her from simply walking out the door. As they opened the door, however, it didn't seem to be called for; she was just now bothering to sit up in her. Her half-closed eyes and drooped shoulders told them that she really was just now waking up.

After the two noticed each other, there was a moment of silence. For Zelda, it was because she just realized just how much _taller_ Ganondorf was than herself; He'd been sitting down for most of the meeting, and so the sheer size difference made her question if he was here to smash her head against the stone walls. The thought of her own blood and organs staining the walls so suddenly did little to disturb her though… Her brief bursts of severe melancholy brought with them a sort of dreadful cloud that simply removed her love of life.

After that moment of silence, Ganondorf crossed his arms in front of him… and outright _laughed._ It was not an evil, gloating laugh, but one like someone had just told a terribly silly joke. The guard next to him looked at him in shock, as if wondering if he'd gone mad. The princess, in the meantime, merely shot him a dirty look. He was being somewhat loud, after all. After his laughter died down, he simply said "So what they said was true…The prized Princess Zelda of Hyrule, falling asleep in the middle of her own kidnapping!" He had another brief burst of laughter, before his tone soon dropped, into a dark, serious demeanor one would expect from him. "Did you simply not realize what was happening? Has Wisdom left you already, girl?"

Zelda, looking rather listless, simply shrugged and remarked "Oh, I knew full well what was happening. I simply chose not to do anything about it." She turned herself so that she was fully facing them, still clothed in her cream-colored gown from the evening before. As she covered her mouth in a half-hearted attempt to hide a yawn, the guard merely gave the princess an odd look. "It was bound to happen, anyhow. History tends to repeat itself in these lands, does it not?" Zelda asked, making one attempt to smooth her hair before merely leaving it be. "The way I see if, if the Goddesses truly are watching over us at all times, then they are like children who love to be read their favorite story over and over. And no, I don't give a damn if they hear me."

"Very few people can hear any of us up here, Princess." Ganondorf said with a low chuckle, walking over to the other side of the room to where the window was. With an amused smirk, he said "Since you seem to be about as energetic as an old housecat, I will inform you that we are very high up on mountains that are a fair distance away from your castle. Should you gather the energy to try to break away from here, you will find very little in the way of climbing down." At this point, the princess looked over to the window, following his gaze. His words seemed to be true, for what little she could see was nothing but grey mountain caps and bright blue sky. It certainly explained the chill. "…Not that the barriers would permit it." He added, casting a glance over at the tired princess.

Zelda merely sighed and commented "I must say, this is a step in the right direction in terms of keeping potential rescuers out."

Ganondorf had another good, long laugh, before remarking "That's the point."

"Very good. Now go away." Zelda snapped, using a ribbon that had fallen off her dress to tie her hair into a messy ponytail.

The Gerudo guard's eyes widened as far as they could go, quickly glancing back and forth between the two of them. She opened her mouth like she wished to say something, but in the end no words were spoken by her. Ganondorf himself, however, simply smirked and "Do you simply not understand the relationship between a kidnapper and their captive?"

"Oh I do. I know you simply have so much to do in terms of making an attempt to burn everything I love to the ground. So you should probably get on that, hmm?" The princess muttered, with a somewhat irritated expression on her face. Her pink lips seemed to be locked in a sort of scowl for the moment, as she gave the very man who was keeping her hostage a look that said 'Well? Bugger off already.'

Ganondorf moved over to her bedside, and before anyone could ask what he was doing he swiftly lifted her by the neck with one hand, so they became eye level to each other. He did not tighten his grasp, however, so her breathing was not restricted. His face was like someone lecturing an annoying friend, and held no anger. Meanwhile, Zelda showed the first expression of fear anyone had seen from her since this whole mess started. Ganondorf merely said "You are right; I have many things to do. But do not assume for even a second that I am leaving because of anything you say. Do you understand?"

Zelda nodded quickly, and with that he merely opened his hand, letting her fall back to the bed below. Without another word, he briskly walked out the door, and the guard quickly followed behind. With one last nervous look, she closed the door behind them, leaving the princess alone.

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**Author's Notes: **Holy crap, I DID IT! I'm finally working on this story! Can you people believe it?! I hope you're enjoying reading it as much as I'm enjoying writing it. We have a lot of ground to cover.

Before you ask, yes the princess IS bipolar. And it is quite extreme, because she's been receiving literally no treatment for it other than 'Don't do it in public okay sweetie?'. When she has a maniac episode, that's when things will get even more amusing. She also has another condition, which we will be seeing more of in the next chapter.

And if you were in Ganondorf's place, wouldn't you find it amsusing too? I mean, hell, you're kidnapping someone and they just freaking fall asleep.

Read, review, and (hopefully if you like it enough) add it to your favorites. Don't make me cute pictures. I'll do it. I have 15 pages worth of cats.


	3. Chapter 2: Then Light the Flames

Chapter Two: Then Light the Flames

It wasn't until dawn's light the next day that the princess took a good, long look out the window of her new prison. The sun's first golden rays illuminated the many tall, grey mountains that rested all around. The valleys in between seemed to be filled with dense, equally grey fog, but the birds in the area were plentiful. Though the princess could not see them, she could hear their gentle chirping echoing through the brisk morning air. Already, however, the chill of the morning was making her arms feel cold and clammy, despite the long sleeves on her dress. So she walked back over to the bed, and wrapped herself deep in the dark blue, thick blanket that rested on it. It still held her own body heat from the eve before, enveloping her in a soft, warm place of safety and comfort. They were far from the fine sheets of the palace, but they served their purpose well.

She lifted her own left hand from the pile of fabric, bringing it back into the light. On the back was a small cut, no bigger than a fingernail. The wound had long since stopped bleeding, but the memory associated with it still did.

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_The man practically roared as they tightened his chains, painfully binding his hands and feet and partially suspending him in the air. He was thin and frail, with his bone structure visible and his eyes sunken in. Even now, in his violent struggle, his eyes were only half-open. The three men that stood in front of him, she only barely knew; they held important positions, she knew that much, but she could not remember what those were. _

_She was pretty sure those positions weren't supposed to entail this, though._

"_Cazerion Nendus, of your numerous crimes against Hyrule, we have found you guilty. For speaking your blasphemies and the attempted freeing of prisoners, your punishment shall be carried out on this eve. In this room, not even the cries of the Goddesses will hear you." The man in the middle spoke, as the chained man's thrashings ended up knocking over a bucket, spilling water all over the floor. The three ignored this, as one man took out a knife, and from her hiding place behind the corner, she saw the remaining man forcefully hold the prisoner's mouth open. The men with the knife then grabbed the prisoner's tongue, and slowly, as far as she could tell, carve it off. The chained man's screaming grew louder, as the princess could feel a painful twisting sensation in her own gut. The room was dark, but the filth that caked it told her such vile acts had been going on literally under her feet for her whole life. As she lived, those dragged down here died, in vile darkness. _

_The prisoner began shaking and screaming, blood flowing freely from his mouth and dripped onto the puddle below, quickly staining it a sickly yellow color. _

_Then, the man simply let the tongue fall to the ground, into the already defiled pool of water. It was at this point the princess could take no more, and ran up the stairs. With one hand over her mouth to keep anything that might rise inside, her other brushed against the metal adornments on the door. A small scratch was not even worth paying mind to, at this point._

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Dragging her hand back into the warmth of the blankets, Zelda mused '_if even those who proclaim to be the holiest can commit such vile acts… I wonder if my captors will do the same to me? I know my life is not forfeit, but what of my body?'_

Hours passed, and the princess' only companion was the sound of footsteps, constantly scurrying outside her door. Late into the evening, however, one of those sets of footsteps came up to her door, and one of the many Gerudo guards walked in. Considering the most entertainment the princess had up until then was constantly fiddling with her own hair, she was deathly curious what they had to say to her. As she kept trying to smooth every last hair on her head, the guard said "Princess, you are to come with me. Lord Ganondorf wishes to speak to you."

The princess let out a half-laugh, as the guard lifted one of her eyebrows. "Now why would he want to go and do a thing like that?" Zelda asked, as she outright yanked a particularly stubborn hair right out of her head. For seemingly no reason, she yanked just one out of the opposite side of her head as well.

"… Just come with me." The guard sighed, holding the door open. The princess gave an almost casual shrug, before swinging her legs over the bed and onto the floor. She took her time putting her shoes on, and quickly tried her best to smooth out her dress. After briefly worrying about the cut of the dress attracting unwanted stares, she slowly headed over to the door, following the guard outside of her room.

It was the first time she'd seen the outside of the room, really. The dark grey stone halls were well lit, with lots of torches along the walls. There was also the occasional red and gold banner hanging on the walls, brightening them up significantly, in an aggressive sort of way. There were also a few golden glass orbs hanging from the ceiling, with little flecks of other colors in them. This choice of decoration is what caught the princess' attention the most, as during their walk she bumped into the guard several times. Each time was met with a simple sigh, before she just started walking a little faster. After several minutes, the two came to a set of stone doors that were larger than the others. Each door had a colorful portrait of the typical vision of a king painted on it, also in aggressive shades of red and gold. The one on the left held a sword, while the one on the right had his hand extended to the sky. The guard pushed the doors open, revealing Ganondorf standing at the other end of an almost cozy-looking room, turning to face them.

This room was decorated in warm shades of browns and reds, with a bronze sort of undertone. The many shelves filled with even more numerous books told her this was supposed to be a library, or perhaps a study. Zelda was nudged inside, and the guard shut the door behind her before she could even protest. _'I'm alone with the man predicted to become my greatest enemy. What have I done to warrant this?' _the princess thought, staring at man ahead of her. The sheer height difference between the two was the first and most apparent thing to her. She estimated he was easily over six feet tall, if not more so, while she was barely five feet tall herself. He held that aura about him that was often expected for Gerudo males; a powerful build of the body, with a sort of roughness to it, and bright, piercing eyes framed by hair like fire. To Hylians, this man was the embodiment of the cruelty of the desert. His name was a disease, and his existence was seen as a herald of darker times.

And here he was, gesturing for her to take a seat. She did, but more because despite all those hours of sleep, she was still sluggish. "So, why have you called me here, Oh Bearer of Power?" The princess asked, with heavy sarcasm in her tone.

"Because you amuse me." Ganondorf said, after a brief laugh. "Here you are, in the lair of your enemy, and yet you still find the nerve to spit venom at me." He walked over closer to the chair she sat in, towering over her even more since their height difference was now even greater. He also, as the princess noted, had a slight tiredness about him as well. A long day of doing… whatever it is those planning on conquering things did, she guessed.

"I'm not sure if I should be flattered or offended." Zelda muttered, folding her hands in her lap as she somewhat curled her feet closer to the chair defensively. He was intimidating, yes, but she simply didn't like people getting within three feet of her. In this case, she felt justified of this.

"Being flattered will do you much more good in the long run." Ganondorf said, turning his back to her briefly. After walking to the other side of the room and picking up a bronze glass, he turned back around and said "But of course, you know that is not the only reason you are here, correct?"

Zelda nodded quickly, keeping her eyes locked onto his every movement. The memory of the man having his tongue cut was fresh in her mind, and at times she could still smell the dirt and blood. If it came to that, her screams would do her no good, perhaps even less so than they did for the man. "I don't know the full extent of what you are doing, but I do know that by having me here, you have a hostage in a literal sense, as well as in a political sense. Not to mention the religious implications, as a way of sort of repeating the cycle that the citizens fear so much, without resorting to hurt any of them. Yet." She said, in a very plain and matter-of-factly way.

"You haven't seemed very concerned about any of this so far." Ganondorf remarked, with a grin.

"Then perhaps I'm hiding it under a quick tongue and constant, pitiful dreaming. With success." Zelda said, quickly smoothing a few wild strands of hair before returning her hands to her lap.

Ganondorf chuckled, before remarking "You speak like a poet, princess."

"You aren't the first person to tell me this." Zelda responded, sighing after having said that. Despite how utterly intimidating he seemed, he had a sort of brunt honesty about him, she thought. He was clear about all his intentions, good or bad. It was a far cry from the nobles back in Hyrule, who hid what they truly wanted to say behind layers of tame words. Yet he was far from ignorant to social interactions, that much was certain.

The Thief King wasn't ignorant of much at all, in fact. In tone and movement, he conveyed to her that he was far from the brutish human beast she was told to expect. That scared her more. He was capable of thought, of planning, instead of just blindly charging into castle walls with the intent to kill. The mere fact that he somehow got away with her kidnapping in the very heart of the castle spoke volumes of his capability of thought… and, perhaps, his resources.

Her musing came to a close when Ganondorf chuckled once more. The princess came to the embarrassing realization that she was blatantly staring right at him as she tried to mentally break him down, sort him in a category just like everyone else.

As her hair-smoothing habit kicked in out of sheer nervousness, she let out a slightly irritated sigh. This King was not going to be put into a category as easily as others.

**Author's Note: **I'm having some layout problems, as you can probably tell by the first chapter. Everything I use to separate paragraphs vanishes when I upload it to . Kind of annoying. Oh well, I'll find something.

Mental tic of Zelda's #2: OCD. She's got a thing about her hair being perfectly smooth. OCD's a bitch, I can attest to that.

I hope I established more of their characterization in this chapter. Chapter three is where things start picking up more. Information will be revealed, a minor skirmish will break out, and more dirty secrets will possibly be revealed.

I hope anyone out there cares. ;-; Leave reviews, they are helpful!


	4. Chapter 3: Dimmed Lights

Chapter Three: Dimmed Lights

Over the course of the weeks, the Thief King and his captive princess had established a routine; in the evenings, after the stress of the day, he would unwind by seeing just what made the poor princess tick. He figured out that, despite Wisdom's influence, there was something off about her mind. It didn't stop her from shooting back sarcasm-laden remarks on occasion, but she kept this to a minimum. In her mind, it was a risk, snapping smart remarks to a man who could quite easily snap her frail neck. It would take him little effort to wrap his hands around her and, with one loud snap, sever her from life.

But to him, it was part of the game they'd established.

She was terribly amusing to him. This princess was mentally and physically fragile, yet was often hailed as such a powerful force by those who hadn't been near her for two seconds… and even those that had. The people of Hyrule hailed her as a sacred treasure, something to be regarded with admiration and holy reverence. And here she was, in the heart of this mountain hideout.

Not, as the Hylians had been led to believe, back in the Gerudo Fortress.

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The young man snuck quietly through the Gerudo Fortress, keepings his footsteps light and his breath shallow. By this hour, he was coated with a fine layer of dirt, dust and sand, unintentionally blending in with the tan stone walls the fortress provided. He was not a man of stealth, but for now, he tried to keep to the shadows of the evening at least, bright thoughts keeping his soul alight in this dark, dangerous times.

He dreamed of fame and love. He dreamed that, perhaps, he was the Chosen Hero, sent to cut through the dark shadows creeping their way into people's hearts. His thoughts were light and some might even call them childish, for they were similar to a child's dreams of becoming mighty. Sparkling hopes kept him awake and alert, the brightness of his thoughts guiding him to a set of large, ominous doors. They were far taller than most people, reaching almost the high ceiling above this particular room. It looked to be made of some dark-colored stone, but what kind of stone he could not say. All he knew is, spies had found the Gerudo had recently upgraded their security to this particular area.

Indeed, there were at least ten Gerudo guards standing in wait, standing mere feet away from the large doors. The man heard the footsteps of perhaps five more nearby, obscured by the shadows of the monstrously-sized room before him.

His hands shook violently as he reached into his pocket, gently wrapping his fingers around the smooth, round object inside. He pulled it out as quietly as he could, as the chill of the desert's night air began to seep into his flesh. With a mind full of optimism and a heart that ached with longing, he quickly threw the object into the room.

The moment his arm was spotted, of course, the alarm was raised, as many voices began yelling almost at once. The small object hit the floor with a loud banging sound, and a bright flash of light briefly filled the room. Cries of surprise echoed through the halls as the man dashed in quickly, as the sound of his boots hitting the floor was drowned out by all the shouting done by the Gerudo women.

He had gravely miscalculated, however, for two of them ran up from behind him, unaffected by the temporary blindness of the rest of their sisters. He quickly turned to meet them and, with a thrust of the battered blade he held, managed to catch one of the women by surprise. As his sword pierced the gut of one of the women, however, the other soon kicked him with enough force to send him falling onto his back, bladeless. The other guards, by now, had recovered from their temporary blinding, and the sounds of many footsteps rushing to him made the man's heart pound quickly in his chest. He scrambled to get up, but a sword was put to his throat.

A thought flickered in his mind, as the footsteps quickly caught up to him. It was a small one, but enough to send him on a dark path right before his throat was impaled. Had he lived, he might have suffered a breakdown over it, as most people tend to do when their childhood dreams are shot down. That deep, groggy sort of feeling one gets knowing the bright dreams of your younger days will be only that is not something one could recover from, much in the way he would not live after his blood quickly flowed from his new wound.

_I can't be the hero. I don't have the mark._

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The papers Ganondorf now held in his hand were very interesting indeed.

The chill of the evening mountain air and the words in front of him now were the only things on his mind at the moment. The chill was a light, but almost numbing sort, making the skin feel clammy and awkward. It was hard to ignore. How he wished the study's window could be fixed!

But that was not important at the moment. Annoying, yes, but not important. For in his hands was a document snatched straight from royal archives about the frail princess in his custody right now. His suspicions were proved correct by this very document; she had what they called a 'deep-seated illness of the mind, for no cause of her bouts of depression and exhaustion can be placed'. However, it was worse than he thought, for the document detailed just how worse her condition had become in recent years.

Untreated, kept locked away behind grey stone walls, the princess had worsened severely in the two months before her kidnapping. She had developed, it seemed, a violent streak, and once in a while would grow such deep loathing for the self and for others that these two facts met in a very terrible way. One poor maid learned that the hard way when a chair shattered her foot. This development certainly explained the incident a few days ago, where the princess threw caution to the wind and tossed a wine glass at Ganondorf himself. The scratches on his upper left arm had long since stopped bleeding, but the sheer audacity of the act… had not ended well for the princess.

A twinge of guilt poked its way into his head, like a fly buzzing around inside a room. He had been prodding the patience of a somewhat unstable girl for weeks, and then punished her when the inevitable snapping happened. Still, the fly of a thought was soon squashed by pride. _She's not a child. She should control these damn impulses of hers if they're so much trouble!_ Pride whispered, briskly wiping away the corpse of Guilt.

Another thought soon wandered in, gently reminding him _Everyone's tolerance has limits, and to be fair, you did push hers first._

Shaking his head, as if to shake away all these thoughts of his, he stood up, letting the papers fall and sit on the desk. He had a lot of work to do, and for now, he had to push this business aside until his work was done.

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_The princess, now aged to her twenties at least, sat at the front of a grey, decayed version of the Hylian throne room. Dark green moss covered the walls and pale white flowers grew through the cracks in the floor. Or were they merely pastel colors, bleached out by the sunlight gently pouring in through the open ceiling? Another thing about the sunlight was, despite the fact that it was golden and plentiful, the room was dreadfully cold. It wasn't like the gentle nip of spring, but it had the heaviness and sting that a deep autumn morning would be expected to have. _

_The room was, aside from her, empty. She knew that. Yet the deep shadow that had manifested behind the very throne she sat on, thanks to the sun, worried her. The princess felt a sense of dread, like fingers gently running themselves up and down her spine. Images of a figure repeatedly leaning in and out of the very shadows behind her flashed repeatedly, replying a scenario repeatedly to tease her. Sometimes it was the tortured man, screaming inhumanly as blood poured from his mouth, his eyes wide with fear. Sometimes it was an inhumanly tall, grey shadow, wrapped in dark red threads. Sometimes it was one of the servants, poorly hiding the gleam of a polished knife behind their backs._

_After several quiet minutes, she took a deep breath, and quickly turned her head behind her to look. The shadow was not as deep as she had thought it was, but it could still hide a figure or two. Satisfied, she turned back around, only to find the room was now full of statues. This did not alarm her, as if they had always been there. Yes, the statues had always been there, but the whispers hadn't. The whispers gently flowed from their opened mouths, their expressions either prideful or pained. It was Hylian, as far as she knew, but she couldn't understand it for some reason. She gently lowered her head, trying to pretend she was listening, but the whispers grew louder and more incoherent. Their volume merely grew and grew, until they were talking at normal volume._

_Suddenly, from behind, something landed a mighty blow on the stone throne, cracking the backrest clean in two. The princess looked behind her to find the grey shadow, his crimson threads flowing freely in the breeze. Color faded from the room quickly, as her gaze was locked on the being's._

_Yet she did not fear._

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Zelda opened her eyes abruptly, finding herself in the darkness of her prison once more. A single lit candle sat at her bedside, like a faithful companion waiting for her to awake. The dream, despite its unnerving ending, left her with a sense of serenity.

Then she tried to move, and a sharp pain in her left wrist reminded her of reality.

_Why did I do that again?!_ She thought, wincing as she waited for the pain to fade. Throwing glass objects at anyone was typically a terrible idea, especially when the target could easily snap your bones. She slowly tried to sit up in her bed, avoiding using her left wrist as much as possible to do so. The room was incredibly chilly, and normally she would merely go straight to bed. But something tugged at the back of her mind. A sensation very much comparable to trying to recall a memory gently wiggled around in her head, leaving her greatly confused at first. Where did this come from? Why now, in the middle of the night?

She glanced over at the candle by her bedside, gently biting her lip. What on earth had she forgotten? Or…what was she trying to remember?

At that moment, something clicked in her mind. By simply changing the wording of her question, a brief moment of clarity presented itself. Turning back to her hands, she lifted her right one from the depths of the warm blankets, bringing it into the chilled air. With her palm facing upwards, she closed her eyes, focusing on that gentle pull in her mind. Trying to somehow coax it from her mind to…

She opened her eyes in time to see a few small flickers of fire dance briefly on her fingertips, before vanishing into the night.

**Author's Notes:** Yeah! Chapter 3! Sorry it took so long, I kept having doubts about what directions I wanted to take. I know where I want things to go though, I didn't charge into this blindly.

Poor dude who wanted to be Link. His name was Domenic. Not relevant anymore, but oh well, we've all been in his shoes, minus the dying part.

More Zelda and Ganondorf interactions in the next chapter. C:

Remember to leave reviews. I like knowing exactly what I'm doing, right or wrong. So don't be shy. I'll give you cake. Internet cake. It's Internet flavored. Everyone loves Internet flavor.


	5. Chapter 4: Fantasties that I longed for

Chapter Four: Fantasies that are longed for

The princess sat alone in her stone room once more, reading a book she'd smuggled carefully out of the study during one of her previous visits. The heavy book with the dark blue cover provided both entertainment and insight; it was the works of a poet who often mused about dreams and the subconscious. She was convinced the dream was relevant, and nothing could tell her otherwise. Her bloodline was known for the occasional prophetic dream, after all.

However, there was no sign of odd grey shadows yet. That symbol, perhaps, puzzled her most of all.

Zelda was given no more time to ponder on these matters, however, for a Gerudo guard had opened the door to the room quite loudly. The princess took a quick glance out the window, and to her surprise saw the brightness of the noon sun instead of the golden glow of the later afternoon. Normally, she was not called until much later in the day. Turning back to the guard, she smirked slightly as she closed the book. "Slow day for the dark lord, I take it?" She asked, with a chuckle as she started smoothing her hair once more. As straight as the strands were, they never exactly stayed where she wanted them to.

The guard frowned, before taking a deep breath as if to avoid unleashing some equally smart response to her. "I've been given orders to escort you to the balcony, princess. " She said, with a stern look. Zelda raised an eyebrow at this odd turn of events, as she slowly removed herself from the sea of blankets she had wrapped herself in and hopped out of bed. On one hand, there was a slight wave of something approaching joy upon being told she'd get to go somewhere other than the study and this room. On the other metaphorical hand, who knew what was waiting for her upon this newly-revealed balcony? An execution, perhaps? Was her blood to be spilled upon cold stone, under the garish light of the sun?

After gently putting on her shoes, Zelda walked up to the guard, biting her lip gently in anticipation. The guard wordlessly gestured for the princess to follow her, which she did quite well. The two wordlessly headed through the well-lit hallways of the fortress, and even down a flight of stairs. The stairs had beautiful, intricate carvings embedded into the railing on these stairs, which Zelda took the time to admire on her way down. At the bottom of the stairs stood a set of large double doors, made of dark stone with stained glass windows. The glass reflected a bright red light, casting fiery displays of light upon the room and all who stood in it. The guard quietly opened the two large stone doors, revealing what looked like a garden. There were some flowering bushes lining either side of the expanse stone balcony, and even a small decorative pond in the middle.

However, there was also no one else there.

The princess turned to the guard, asking "While this is surprisingly quaint, why have I been brought here?"

"It was determined that spending too much time locked in the same room would be… a degrading effect on your health, both mentally and physically." The guard said, quite plain in tone and matter-of-factly. "So you have been brought here. Although you will technically be alone here in this place, I will be right on the other side of this door, and there are more guards below and above, so don't even try to escape, princess."

_Well, of course, I figured you weren't about to just let me march myself right out of here _the princess thought, thankfully finding the self-restraint to keep it as just a thought. Instead, there was a brief moment of silence between the two, before she quietly said "…Well, thank you for this."

"It wasn't my decision, princess, so don't thank me." The guard said quietly in return, before closing the door between her and the princess. For a few seconds, the princess merely stood there, staring back and forth between the closed door and the quiet garden she had been left in. A few benches had been left long ago by whoever built this place (for the décor was far too Hylian to have been actually built by the Gerudo, as she had noticed) and sat near the sparkling pond.

Zelda took a few quick glances to either side of herself; indeed, the guard had spoken true, and she could see both guard patrolling on the outdoor walkways below and their shadows on a ledge above her. She took a few cautious steps, stopping to listen to the sounds around her for any sign of betrayal and swift execution. When none were had, she took a seat on one of the benches, smoothing her skirts as she sat. Next to the bench was one of the flowering bushes, which bloomed with blush-colored flowers that had bright red tips. After looking to either side of herself once more, she gently slid her feet out of her shoes, and began picking off a few flowers with equal gentleness.

They were unlike anything she had seen at the castle; they had petals that were long and pointed, but also thick and soft, with many layers; almost like another exotic flower she had heard about long ago. With a gentle tug, she almost absentmindedly began plucking the petals off and tossing them into the water, watching those very same petals as they glided upon its softly rippling surface. Those who had known the princess before this would know this was a common habit of hers back in the castle gardens, and one doctor even dared say it almost had a therapeutic effect on her, so no one dared stop her.

In the window above the balcony, Ganondorf and a strange Gerudo woman garbed in cloaks and veils were both walking by the glass portal, and stopped upon noticing the princess had been let on the balcony. Ganondorf took another step towards the window, observing the princess in a state entirely new to him; the closest thing she'd been to calm since she arrived.

"Ah, those Hylians and their dainty little princesses. You told me this one had an illness of the mind?" The short Gerudo woman said, her hobbling walk implying many years of age under all her layers of fabric. "Why, you can hardly tell at the present time." She said, speaking in a tone normally reserved for small puppies chasing after a stick.

"And that is exactly what I had hoped to observe." Ganondorf informed her, turning his head to briefly glance at the elder woman behind him as she unsteadily walked up to get a better look. "For you see, while earning her ire is an amusingly easy task, witnessing her in a better state of mind is much more difficult." After a few moments of silence, he again looked at the elder woman, with a raised eyebrow. He broke the silence that had fallen by asking "Are you sure the Hero of this generation would have even been able to befriend this incarnation?"

"I know what I saw. Those two always find a way to form some kind of small bond, and that bond would break all you work for apart." The elder woman said, quite calmly but also with a hint of irritation. "It has done so for your ancestors, and it would do so for you."

"Do not act like I haven't noticed this." Ganondorf sighed, as they both watched the princess in a state unlike any they'd seen before. It was almost like she was a different person; for the first time, he even witnessed a small smile on her face instead of her usual gloomy disposition.

Today, for the first time in weeks, the light of the sun did not serve as merely a method of time for the princess. Today, it was warmth, however blinding, at least for now.

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Back in Hyrule, sources were still utterly convinced the Dark Lord and the poor princess were back in Gerudo Fortress. After all, they reasoned, why else would they increase their defenses to much as include **A GODDESS-DAMNED HORDE OF MONSTERS ON THE BORDERS?!**

The spy nervously wrote something on a piece of paper, hidden in the shadow of a tall rock. For now, these monsters could not see him. For now. So he quickly finished writing his notes, and put them back in his back, before he quietly tried to creep back out of sandy Gerudo territory. After all, what good was this information he gathered if he never reported back to the king?

And where, he mused, was that Hero when you truly needed him, as one of the Stalfos turned its head in his direction.

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The princess had spent hours on the balcony, basking now in the shade cast by the fortress itself as the sun had moved in the sky. Sleeping peacefully on the bench, despite it being made of stone, the only movement came from the floating petals on the water and the rising and falling of her chest. The low, grey stone walls of the balcony allowed what little sunlight the late afternoon provided to cast its golden glow on what to the princess had become a miniature sanctuary.

This peace was disturbed by the creaking of the glass doors that led to the balcony, disturbing the princess' light sleep. Her eyes opened slowly, revealing the form of one of the guards. After sitting up and lightly rubbing her eyelids, she realized it was the same one as before. With a slight smirk, she tiredly remarked "Time to encase me in stone again?"

With a sigh, the guard replied "No, princess, not quite yet. Just follow me to the study."

Zelda frowned somewhat, but gently slipped her shoes back onto her feet, noting that the light blue of her attire looked somewhat purple in the light reflected off the red glass door. Quickly standing up, she followed the guard once more.

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The white stone throne room is cold, bearing the chill of a coming autumn. Already, buried in the bright green trees that sat outside the large, picturesque windows, a trace amount of reds and yellows had begun to form. Cold-bearing winds were kept from the blue plush carpets of the throne room only by the glass of the windows, yet the matching curtains were constantly fluttering from a slight breeze. This came from the flurry of activity inside, with servants and noblemen alike running around and shouting at one another.

Not a single day of peace graced had graced the castle since the princess' kidnapping. Nor had the king, whose imposing presence sat on the throne, gotten very much sleep. At all hours of the dark night, spies and informants came rushing in, claiming some important information the person before them had already told him. The king swore that, were his hair not already grey, this event alone would have caused it to be so.

At first, the unassuming young messenger who rushed into the room was just another face, clamoring for his attention. Or perhaps he bore a message from a religious scholar, with yet another proposal as to where to find the hero that completely contradicted all those that came before it. Or maybe he simply needed to use the washroom. A number of unimportant explanations briefly ran through the tired king's mind, before dismissing the thoughts altogether. However, when the slim man began shouting "We've found the hero! We've found the hero! We've found him, he bears the mark!" as loud as his lungs could muster, the flurry of activity in the throne room only increased tenfold.

Not far behind the messenger, an old man and a young boy had been brought in. He looked around thirteen years of age, just a couple years younger than the princess herself. The king barely got a glimpse at the boy himself before the knights and nobles clamored around him, as if he were an exotic caged animal. His light blonde hair was still caked with dirt, as were his clothes; from what he could gather, he had worked at a farm. This was not surprising, as many past heroes had come from humble beginnings, including farms more often than not. His bright blue eyes shone with curiosity, flittering from person to person, taking in their appearance and expressions. The old man, possibly a relative, had flinched at all the sudden attention, but the boy watched. While he did shy away when someone would try to touch him, he was not jittery.

"Your Highness, we must train him for his destiny. We must begin right away if we are to save the princess!" One of the knights called out, turning from the crowd to cry out to his king.

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**Author's Notes: **First of all, I am SO SORRY about the long delay between chapters. I really am. I can't even use college as an excuse. Classes did start recently, but they're not to blame. I got a classic case of "Holy crap I know what I want JUST NOT HOW TO GET THERE this sucks." I even started looking for a beta reader. Y'know, because my spelling is atrocious. You can't tell too much because of spellcheck, but it's there. I wanted to include much more in this chapter BUT I figured I owed you guys SOMETHING after so long of a gap. So sorry. I'll try not to let it happen again. ;-;

Again, please don't be shy with reviews. Or telling your fanfiction reading friends. Or hitting me upside the head if I mess up. I'll even give you the bat. It's made of metal.


	6. Chapter Five: Further into Madness

Chapter Five: Further into the Sea of Madness

The sun shone over the grey stone walls of the castle, casting its famous golden glow into the training yard below. Training dummies crudely made of metal and wood stood below, lined up in a steady row to await their inevitable beating. The dirt of the training yard was kicked into the air ever so slightly by the chilly autumn breeze, which also gently tugged at the fabric of the men and boy below.

The young hero-to-be, clad in a dusty blue training uniform similar to the rest of the guards, stood next to a tall, older man clad in armor, and before one of the many dummies. The dummy itself was easily much taller than he was at the moment, and he held only a wooden sword to assault the crude representation of his enemy with; but when the man next to him turned to him and nodded, the boy showed no fear when he raised the sword. It was foreign in his hands, this weapon, but as it bashed against the dummy, the clanking of metal seemed almost familiar to him.

"And you say you've never lifted a sword in your life?" The armored man chuckled. "Then again, I should have come to expect this from our 'Blessed Hero'."

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"Is milord starting to care, perchance?" The princess' voice rang out, as the blatant teasing of her tone was as apparent as a church bell in the empty air.

Ganondorf turned to look back at Zelda, taking in the sight of her demeanor. She seemed… very much more relaxed than usual. Who knew letting her outside would do her this much good? She was practically _relaxing_ in the plush red chair, which had become 'her spot' in the weeks that had passed. She was slumped over the large arm rest like a lazy cat, with one arm propping her head up, and the other dangling below, all while she had a grin that looked almost _smug._

Ganondorf almost rolled his eyes at this display. _What ideas is this girl getting in her head? _He thought, setting down the handful of letters that had been handed to him recently. He shook his head several times, before saying "Being cooped up in one room all the time isn't good for you, and you're no good to me or my plans if you're deceased before your time. "

He turned around fully, and took a few more steps to where she sat. Normally just this was enough to get her to stop any smart remarks, but she just looked up at him like nothing was wrong. Perhaps he'd overused that tactic, he mused, and she was getting used to it.

"I don't know what ideas you're getting in your head, _princess_, but I'd much appreciate it if you didn't start viewing me as some benevolent guardian figure." He continued, with his arms behind his back.

Zelda, without a hint of falsehood in her voice, simply remarked "I know that, _sir_. But a kind gesture is still a kind gesture, even if the intentions are not the purest. I merely wished to express gratitude."

"You can do such things without implying I'm going _soft_. You make it sound like I set you free!" Ganondorf sighed, placing one hand to his temples as if he were getting a headache.

"…In a small, metaphorical sense, you did." Zelda said softly, as she sat up in the chair once more.

Ganondorf looked almost stunned when she said this. He gave her a very curious look, as if she had just revealed she was actually a potted plant and that he'd gone mad long ago. He crossed his arms, almost as if her 'illness of the mind' were contagious.

Zelda gently messed with the edges of her flowing sleeves with her fingertips, before softly saying "I… find comfort in certain things. I know it would be a strain for one such as you to understand, but… I find comfort in places like the balcony."

Thoughts of the past few weeks briefly flashed in Ganondorf's mind. The way the princess lashed out, sometimes violently, and the venom she spat at those unlucky enough to catch her when darkness clouded her thoughts…

His expression almost seemed to soften a bit.

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Even when winter's soft snow fell and blanketed Hyrule in its cold embrace, training continued for Link. He'd already moved on from practicing simple sword strikes on training dummies to having one of the guards train him by sparring him daily. The boy had a natural fluidity to his strikes, something that sent hopeful whispers gently drifting through the town.

"He really IS the hero!" The people would say, whispering to one another as they shopped for their groceries in the town market, or perhaps a simple drunken shout in a cozy tavern.

The boy was praised heavily, by both guard and servant alike, who seemed to come as close to worshipping him as they could. His bright, observant eyes merely watched, his pointed ear listened, and his quick feet moved step by step, ever closer to his destiny.

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It was late into the night, and the chill of winter embedded itself into the very stone of the fortress. Zelda sat on her bed, wrapping herself in the dark blue blankets she had come to adore so much. They held warmth like a fireplace, something she was quickly becoming grateful for. It was very much the opposite of elegant, however, the way she was set up at the moment… She was curled into as tight of a ball as she could muster, wrapped all in blankets save for her face, and holding a book with one blanket-covered hand. The other would poke out only briefly from under the safety of the blankets to turn a page every minute or so.

This set-up would soon come to an end, however, when the thin, glowing purple lines covering the stone door began to crackle violently. The loud 'pop' noises they emitted were hard to ignore, so the princess set the book down onto her bed, keeping her blue eyes set firmly on the door. After another minute of this display, the lines made a loud crackling noise, before the door shot open.

Zelda slowly poked both her feet out from under the safety of the blanket, and gently crept towards the open door. She poked her head out, still covering herself with the blanket, and looked both ways into the hallway. To her surprise, no guards were stationed. She could have sworn that at least one guard was posted right outside her door at all times…

Standing up straight, she briefly pondered the situation while unconsciously smoothing her hair the best she could with the blanket. _I highly doubt I can sneak out of this fortress… I don't think ALL the guards have abandoned post…but maybe I can at least pick up a new book? And I can see if the guards truly are gone on the way? Yes, the study should be empty around this time of night._ She thought, tilting her head somewhat to the side as she did so. Taking another quick peek into the hall, her choice was finalized. To the study it was.

She began to tip-toe down the hallway, which was dark and almost completely un-lit this time of night. It must have been close to midnight, or at least the princess thought so. She stepped lightly, making sure her footfalls didn't make very much noise, and slowly picked up speed. The study wasn't far from here, and thanks to being led there often she knew the way by heart. The way there was mostly empty, save for her seeing a pair of guards at the foot of a set of stairs. She silently cursed this fact, but continued her way to the study in darkness. Finally, turning a corner, the large door to the study came into view. She ran the final few feet, and without listening to the room inside first, slowly began to shove the door open.

It occurred to her only too late that perhaps there was a reason the door was not fully shut.

The gentle glow of what little light was in the study illuminated the tall silhouette of Ganondorf, standing with his back to the door. Zelda's eyes widened as soon as she saw this. He didn't shift from this position, however, and seemed to be deeply preoccupied with something on his desk. At this point, however, the princess didn't even want to risk it; she began to close the door, as slowly as she had opened it. She didn't get very far, however, when she heard Ganondorf mumbling. She froze with terror, staring at his outlined form in the dim light.

She could see him place one hand to his head, as if it was pained. What he was saying, however, was so quiet, she couldn't even tell.

Even slower this time, she tried once more to close the door very quietly. It didn't get very far when Ganondorf's voice suddenly rang out, piercing the chilly night air.

"Nice try, but I still heard that."

Zelda immediately tried slamming the door shut, forgoing stealth altogether to go for speed instead. However, with a speed that his large frame did not give away, Ganondorf shot over and stopped this act with one hand. He gazed down at the very sheepish looking princess, who looked up at him with a small nervous grin.

His weary, bitter expression melted into one that betrayed the fact that he was trying very hard not to laugh. With the hint of a chuckle threatening to escape, he said "You? It was YOU at the door? Of all the damnable distractions…"

Ganondorf let out a sigh, placing his forehead on the edge of the door as he did so. That weary tone crept back into his voice once more, however, when he asked "And how did you get out of your room?"

"…The magic on the door failed." Zelda replied, lowering her head somewhat as she said this. The blanket slipped a bit, obscuring her face somewhat under its warm fabric. Thoughts ran through her mind; this was it. This is the part where he drags her to some dark, filthy part of the fortress she hasn't seen and cuts out her tongue or perhaps her fingers. The thought made her start shaking a little bit; visibly, even.

Ganondorf, ignoring the princess' shaking for now, just let out another heavy sigh. Very quietly, so quietly Zelda almost didn't catch it, he muttered "It failed, huh? I suppose I'm stressing the limits of even my own abilities…"

He chuckled a sort of hollow, bitter chuckle at the end. Zelda looked up at him, quite curiously now. In what little light there was, she saw something he'd been trying very hard to cover up. The dark, tired look on his face was from more than just the hour of night; it was a look suspiciously familiar to the young princess. "The burden of Power, am I correct in assuming?" She spoke, quietly.

Ganondorf caught her looking so intently at him, and couldn't help but stare back. Something in that moment just… fit into place for the two of them, like a brushstroke on a painting. This stroke added something to the overall picture, and… it finally started to look more like its intended picture.

In a strange way, they both came to the realization that there was a dark similarity to them.

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**Author's Note: **We're picking up speed now…

So sorry about the delay between chapters, I just… I get so nervous and skittish that it makes me run and hide. This chapter was, again, going to be longer, but I was like "Well, I don't want to piss off the people who are following me", so here we go. The beginning of the speed up. It'll speed up through a couple years, then slow down again (in terms of how much time passes between chapters, not in terms of story) and SHIT WILL GET SERIOUS PEOPLE.

I hope you like what you see. Tell me if you do, or if I need to improve upon something.


	7. Chapter 6: The Ashes Sorrow Is Built On

Chapter Six: The Ashes Upon which Sorrow are Built

Two years passed.

Two years of swords and steel for our hero. Two years of strange similarities for the remaining two pieces of the puzzle.

Two years of setting up the opening of the floodgates.

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Link and a small portion of the Hylian Army traveled under the cover of night, seeing the Gerudo Fortress within sight. The torchlight was hard to miss, being the only source of light in the desert, for there was no moon that night. The golden glow of the torches against the solid, yet worn stone of the Fortress provided the group all they needed to find the Fortress itself.

Behind an outcropping of rocks, they lay in wait. A few peeked out from behind once in a while, before quickly being yanked back behind the wall by a superior. Link, however, did not peek. He simply stood there, completely silent, staring at his hand. Two years had done a lot for him; his muscles showed some slight signs of definition, and his height had grown considerably. His eyes, however, never changed; they kept that quiet, observant glimmer to them.

"What's wrong, boy?" One of the elder soldiers asked, giving Link a raised eyebrow.

Link finally looked up, as if slowly broken from a trance. "I…I feel no 'pull', like I was told I would." He said, shrugging.

"Perhaps we need to get you closer, then, before you'll feel it." Another soldier suggested, turning to his superiors as he spoke. Two of them simply looked at each other, before nodding in mutual agreement.

Link had this…feeling he couldn't shake. The urge one gets when they know someone is wrong, yet won't speak against them for one reason or another. He didn't know why, exactly, he felt they were wrong. Maybe he was just proud? With a slow nod, he gave a sign of agreement, even though that feeling never faltered.

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Nighttime in the Mountain Fortress was quiet, as it had been for years. Only the sounds of the strong breeze outdoors and Ganondorf's surprisingly quick writing filled the air of the study, lit only by a few candles.

The princess lay on the window seat, propping her head on her arms as she lay with her back to the air. Her body seemed to have blossomed within those two short years; she'd gained considerable height, and her figure filled out some more. Not a large amount, which she complained about at first, until she overheard one of the bustier women complain about her numerous back problems. That silenced those complaints with ease.

Ganondorf sat at the desk of the study, reviewing maps and sometimes scribbling down notes. Despite Zelda's height, he still managed to tower over her, even when sitting. Which was very likely going to be brought up very soon.

With a slight smirk, Zelda broke the silence and said "You know, I always wondered; what is it like being a human mountain?"

Ganondorf stopped writing for a moment, before resting his forehead onto one of his hands. Truth be told, he was trying very hard to hide his own smirk. Trying his damnedest to sound utterly serious, he replied "I thought I told you not to interrupt me."

"It's just a little question that only takes five seconds at the most." The princess said, in a mock-pleading tone.

"If it's that trivial, it can wait until I'm done." Ganondorf told her, lifting his head to glance over at her. She had her feet kicked up into the air rather casually, and once she saw he was looking at her she put on an exaggerated 'begging face' complete with big wide eyes and a pouty lower lip. He could no longer hide his smirk, chuckling a bit as he commented "That look is very unbecoming of you, _princess_."

The look in question quickly slipped off her face, replaced with a somewhat silly but very honest tongue being stuck out at him.

"And that is _also_ unbecoming of you." He pointed out, before being hit with a pillow. And with that playful act of defiance, she began to laugh.

How had this happened? That question sparked in Ganondorf's mind, like a flickering candle, every time moments like these came up. Ever since the night in the study, when he caught her sneaking around, it was like… a sort of mutual understanding had happened. The princess slowly tried to be more pleasant to him. He tried not to antagonize her so much, at first mostly because it was annoying having wine glasses thrown at him.

And now here she was, laughing freely in the presence of the man who was supposed to be her enemy.

How did this happen? Where did the line that separated them begin to blur, allowing passage into each other's minds? Why did myth and legend become obsolete, if only for these few years, and the definition of what exactly was an enemy become so unclear?

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When did the line between flesh and blood become so blurred? Oh, that's right, when the steel of each side's weapons was revealed.

The soldiers, with Link among them, had managed to come to that large, ominous door that had plagued them for so long. Gerudo guards lay dead at their feet, as the silence became deafening. Link stood in front of the large door, staring at it with a puzzled look on his face.

One of the soldiers, a man with black hair, walked up beside Link, meeting his gaze. "Is something…is something in there?" He asked, nervously.

Link simply tilted his head slightly, before giving a small sigh. "That's the thing. There's… nothing. No pull, no feeling, no nothing." He explained, shaking his head.

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"Feeling tired already?"

Zelda nodded in response to his question, her eyes drooping somewhat already. It seems, as time went on, her mind only became even more afflicted. It spread to her body sometimes, draining the princess of energy.

"Then you should go and get some rest." Came the answer, his tone firm, but more concerned than aggressive.

Zelda blinked lazily, before softly saying "But I'm plenty comfortable here."

"Beds were made for a reason, princess."

Ganondorf turned to glance at her once more, but she had fallen asleep already, it seemed. To fall asleep in the presence of someone who was supposed to be her enemy… They were supposed to hate each other. She was supposed to strike him down with holy might, lead the hero to him so he could drive the blade through his supposedly cold heart.

Yet why did they enjoy each other's company? It made no sense.

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"Where is the princess?! It makes no sense!"

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AUTHOR'S NOTE: Okay. It's been month. I figured I owed you guys something. This is…unacceptable, I need to start updating this a lot more than I am.

More feelsy stuff, more interactions, more stuff, more…yeah.

…To explain: tumblr distracted me. Running four blogs, actually. Might be five soon. I… need to stop, I have a problem.


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